Together Forever
by Lady Anatui
Summary: Natsu's lips twisted into a little scowl. "Yeah, but why do you have to get married?" Gray released an exasperated sigh. "Because, flame brain, that's what you do when you find the one person you want to be with forever." NaLu, established Gruvia & Gajevy.


**A/N: Okay, it's been a long while since I've written any fanfiction, but I've been obsessing about _Fairy Tail_ for the past couple months and finally decided to put my pen to paper and write something up.**

**As a note, I haven't written in third person in years, so I apologize in advance if I'm a bit rusty.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own _Fairy Tail_ or any of the characters therein.**

* * *

By the time Natsu and Happy arrived at the guild, the hall was teeming with life. Fairy Tail was in full-on party mode.

After many long years—what felt like a century to half the parties involved—one of the guild's favorite couples to tease had become official. And to nearly everyone's surprise, they'd become more than just official recently. It seemed that once Gray committed to Juvia, he fully committed.

This was their engagement party after all.

Natsu paused at the guild entrance, suddenly uncertain.

It was hardly the first Fairy Tail party, and it was hardly the most energetic the hall had been, and it was hardly the first engagement or wedding, and it definitely wouldn't be the first time they had a new baby when the couple got to that.

Hell, Levy and Metal Head were already on number. Her belly was huge, practically about to burst, even though their first wasn't even two.

But Gray was the first of Team Natsu to make this step—Erza and Jellal were painfully slow with their developing relationship—and as much as Natsu would never admit he was pleased to see Ice Princess happy, he would also never admit a mild concern about their team dynamics.

Happy settled on his shoulders with a worried frown. "Aren't we going to enjoy the fun?"

He flashed the blue Exceed a big grin. "Of course!"

Anyway, Ice Princess was at the center of attention, and he looked way too happy with that sliver of a smile on his normally blank face. Definitely can't do with that.

"Oi, Pervert!"

Across the hall, Gray steeled his gaze, and with no more preamble, they dove for each other, leaving the rest of the guild in their wake. Happy, like everyone else, didn't even pause before moving on, flying toward the table where Charle sat with Wendy and Romeo.

* * *

At the bar, Lucy chuckled as the little girl on her lap toyed with the small key-shaped pendant Natsu found her last year. Just under two years old, but she already had a mane of black hair unsuccessfully maintained by a golden ribbon.

"She adores you, Lu-chan," Levy said, then her big smile turns sly. "Say, have you thought about having any of your own?" She laid her hand on her large belly for emphasis.

Lucy's brown eyes widened. "W-what?"

"Kids," her friend supplied. "Wouldn't it be fun for our kids to play together and be best friends? When do you think you'll have some?"

Her eyes softened as she turned them back to the adorable toddler on her lap, but she shook her head. "When in the world would I have kids, Levy-chan? I can't even keep a boyfriend when Natsu drags me off on another mission almost as soon as we're home." The laughter that followed was affectionate, though. "I had to put my foot down this week, or we'd probably be stuck fighting half a dozen dark mages and missing Gray and Juvia's party."

"Hmm…" Levy cast a long glance toward the center of the hall, where Natsu and Gray were going at it again while Juvia tried to protect the horde of cupcakes that would be dessert. "You two have been going on more missions lately, haven't you?"

"The three of us," Lucy corrects immediately. "Don't forget Happy."

But she certainly couldn't deny the accuracy.

Since Gray and Erza had become increasingly distracted by their brewing romances, the group had dwindled down to the two—no, three—of them. Even Wendy and Charle had stepped back to go on a few missions with Romeo as his skill increased.

A small part of Lucy wondered if Wendy had intentionally given them space because it was awkward without Gray and Erza there too.

"Right," Levy said. "Can't forget Happy."

Lucy scowled in the direction of the obnoxious blue Exceed. "That damn cat is too annoying to forget." But her scowl easily transitioned to a smile as, in the distance, he presented a fresh fish—where was he keeping that?—to Charle. She laughed, nodding toward the Exceeds. "Love is in the air apparently."

Indeed, after a long minute, Charle accepted the proffered fish.

Lucy and Levy laughed together, but the big yawn from Lucy's lap immediately distracted them.

Levy sighed, pushing herself from the stool haphazardly. "She's right. It's late."

As if on cue—or rather, due to his excellent hearing—Gajeel was at her side, gripping her arm to keep her tiny body from toppling over under the weight of her own belly.

Lucy squeezed the adorable girl in her arms before allowing her dad to pluck her from my grip. "Bye, sweetie." She grinned, giving the darling a little wave. "Next time Oba-san is in town, I'll bring you a present."

But Gajeel glowered at the nickname she and Levy had given herself—Fairy Tail is family after all, so Lucy should be as good of an aunt as anyone else—and hiked his little girl up against his shoulder. "Do you have to say that? The last thing I want is her to call Salamander _uncle_."

Lucy frowned.

Why in the world would considering her an aunt mean considering Natsu an uncle? That didn't make sense.

* * *

Exhausted, Natsu and Gray slumped against the far wall, panting and glaring.

"Look what the fuck you did, squinty eyes," Gray snapped, nodding toward the hall in disarray. "You're ruining my party, dumbass."

Natsu merely grunted.

"Juvia's gonna be pissed." He sighed, accepting his fate.

But Natsu snorted. "All she'll care about is that her precious Gray-sama is okay."

Gray turned on him with expressionless eyes. "You're joking, right? This is our engagement party. She'll be pissed."

Natsu's lips twisted into a little scowl as he surveyed the damage. "Yeah, but why do you have to get married?" he bit out, trying—and failing—to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Beside him, Gray released an exasperated sigh and pushed up on his hands. "Because, flame brain, that's what you do when you find the one person you want to be with forever."

"Oh."

He scoffed. "'Oh'? Is that all?"

Despite himself, Natsu's gaze drifted toward the bar, where Lucy sat in her usual seat and amicably chatted with Mira.

Only a couple years ago, he'd promised her they'd be together forever, no matter what, and she'd sent him the biggest brightest smile despite her worried tears. He'd meant every word of that promise, and he still did. To be fair, he'd felt that way for a long time, but there'd never seemed a point in explaining what was so obvious.

But what if Lucy changed her mind? What if she decided to run off and make a name for herself—without him, without Happy? What if she decided to make a life without him?

Gray and Erza were already doing that.

Ice Princess was engaged now. Going to get married. Why would he still come on missions when he could stay with Juvia? Or would he even bother going on missions once they started having mini Ice Princesses?

And Erza… well, she may pretend there was nothing between her and Jellal, but she went on an awful lot of solo missions and secret trips just to spend time with someone she wasn't in relationship with. She wasn't nearly as discreet as she thought—certainly not to a dragon slayer.

He could handle not going on missions with them all the time. Perhaps he could handle them leaving Team Natsu.

But he couldn't handle it if Lucy left.

An ice hammer slammed into his head, and he turned to growl at Gray. But for once, the ice mage wasn't interested in arguing with him.

"Don't go getting emotional on me, pyro. We're still a team." A smirk slid onto his face. "You can't scare me off with your stupid squinty eyes and fire breath. Not when I could kick your ass so easily."

Natsu's hands clenched into fists, lighting up with fire.

"You know who else you can't scare off?" Gray nodded off toward something in the distance.

The fire faded, and Natsu cast his attention back to the bar.

* * *

With a long sigh, Lucy drained her drink and slid the glass toward the back of the bar.

"Another?" Mira asked, immediately at her side, a devious glint in her eyes.

But Lucy shook her head. "No, I think I'm going to head out."

"No," Mira instantly protested. "The party's just getting started. You have to stay."

She yawned, trying to get a hold of herself. "And I'm about to fall asleep."

The bartender smirked. "That just means you need a stronger drink."

But Lucy waved her away and began to check her pockets to make sure she had everything. "Can you say goodnight to Natsu for me? I don't want to interrupt his fight with Gray—that never works out well."

Mira, though, nodded her head behind her. "Tell him yourself."

"Oi, Lucy!" True to form, he sidled up to her place at the bar with his typical grin, wide, excited, and unrestrained, and when he collapsed onto the stool beside her, he swung his arm around her bare shoulders. "Let's get married."

Mira's eyes widened to saucers.

Lucy fell off her stool with a loud yelp.

Natsu immediately jumped down and crouched in front of her, his brow knitted in confusion. "You drunk, Luce? You're acting weird."

After a long incredulous silence, she raised her eyes to meet his. "_I'm_ acting weird?"

He nodded, his face suddenly solemn. "Yeah, but you're always weird." And he offered her his hand, his mouth slipping into that steady grin again. "Let's get you off the floor, huh?"

Hesitant, she accepted the proffered hand and rose with him, her face flushed. "Thanks," she mumbled, then took a moment to dust off the back of her pleated skirt, wincing at the mild pain.

In front of her, Natsu frowned. "You hurt? Should I take a look at it?"

Lucy froze. "N-no, I'm just a little sore. I'll be fine."

But Natsu never gives up. "I could rub it for you. That'd feel better, right?"

She stammered, stunned, unable to form words, and he simply offered her the biggest smile.

Finally, she cleared her throat and turned back to the bar. "No, that's alright. I think I'll just have another drink."

Behind the bar, Mira met her eyes with a wide mischievous grin. "What can I get you, Lucy?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"I don't care. Just make it a strong one."

Mira nodded before getting right to work.

When Lucy glanced over, Natsu was settling onto his stool again, a happy smile on his face, his hands relaxing behind his head. For a long moment, he didn't speak, only grinned at her like this was a normal conversation.

At last, Mira slid a large hurricane glass into her awaiting hand, and Lucy examined the bright blue cocktail before taking a big gulp.

"So what do you say?"

Lucy nearly choked on the blue liquid. She pulled the glass back to cough into her elbow, trying to pull herself together. "To what?" she asked, voice hoarse.

"Marriage," Natsu said, like it was obvious. "What do you say to getting married?"

She sighed, and her eyes fluttered shut. "For a moment, I thought that was a nightmare."

He scoffed. "Why a nightmare?"

It took her a moment to realize he was offended, that her automatic reaction might have hurt the dragon slayer's feelings.

"Because," she began carefully, focusing her eyes on his no-longer-carefree form, "you can't just ask a girl to marry you at someone else's engagement party."

"Why not?" Natsu asked through his pout.

She sipped the drink. "This is Gray and Juvia's day. You can't just steal the spotlight from the happy couple by proposing. It's rude." Especially with how long Juvia waited for this to happen.

He released an irritated breath. "I don't want to steal anything. I just want to marry you."

"No," she said more firmly. "You haven't even asked me on a date."

He shot her a petulant glare. "Why does that matter?"

Lucy spluttered, trying to figure out how to explain it in terms he could understand. "Because you're doing it wrong. You're supposed to bring me flowers and take me somewhere nice and pull out my chair, and then we get to know each other."

"But we've already done all that."

She opened her mouth, only to pause.

He may have been right on that. Purely based on a technicality.

Yes, he'd brought her flowers—a rainbow cherry tree definitely counted.

Yes, they'd gone out to eat innumerable times—although, they must have different definitions of _nice_.

Technically, yes, he'd pulled out her chair before—but those times were pranks to make her land on her ass so he and Happy could laugh at her misfortune.

And yes, they knew each other quite well by now.

"And spend years getting to know each other as boyfriend and girlfriend," she said, pleased with her amendment. "That's what you're supposed to do."

But Natsu simply scowled. "We've already spent years getting to know each other. The labels shouldn't matter."

She opened her mouth, but she really couldn't argue against that point.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Gray said you're supposed to get married when you find the one person you want to spend the rest of your life with. Do you not want to be together forever anymore?"

Despite an immediate, albeit short-lived, irritation at their icy teammate, Lucy's eyes softened, and she bridged the distance to lay her hand on his forearm. "Of course I want to be together forever, Natsu. That'll never change."

"Then what's the problem?"

She bit her lip, struggling to come up with an explanation. "We haven't even kissed," she murmured, her resolve wavering. "You can't get married without at least kissing."

And Natsu immediately saw the opening.

He grasped her extended hand in his and leaned forward. He didn't hesitate before pressing his mouth to hers in a firm but short kiss.

Lucy, shocked, stayed frozen until the moment he pulled away.

Her arms wrapped around his neck before he got too far away, and she tugged him back to her, smashing their mouths together. She twisted, tilting her head to the side to get closer, and opened up to slide her tongue inside his hot mouth. He accepted her easily—greedily, even—and his hand cupped her cheek, the other hooking around her waist.

They didn't pull apart until Lucy realized cheers had erupted around them.

Her face was red when they separated.

But Natsu kept his tight grip on her waist, holding her in place. "So let's get married," he said, and his grin took over his face again.

Lucy laughed, still riding the high from their kiss. "But how do we know we're compatible?"

He frowned, refusing to release her. "We're partners. Best friends. How much more compatible could we be?"

If possible, her blush deepened. "I mean sexually," she said in a hushed voice. "A couple needs chemistry." She cleared her throat, gathering up her resolve. "Besides, you need a ring if you're going to propose."

Natsu frowned at that.

When Gray proposed, he gave Juvia a huge rock that looked like it was just a hunk of ice on a silver ring. Appropriate probably, but ridiculous.

After a moment, Natsu sighed, then leaped from his stool, his hand slipping from her waist down to her hand. "We can get a ring later," he said, determination thick in his voice as he clasped their hands together. "Let's go."

Lucy stumbled down from her seat. "Go? Go where?"

"Your apartment." He glanced back, his grin in place yet again. "You want to make sure we're compatible, right?"

Her face flushed again, but she didn't complain as he dragged her between the tables toward the guild entrance, desperately trying to ignore the cheers and wolf whistles as they departed.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Drop me a review if you have time, and if you liked this, go ahead and follow my profile. I intend to post more FT one-shots in the next couple months. :)**

**Anatui**


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